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Grammar Notes - Active Voice

 

Present Simple

Most English Verbs act like to laugh, which uses the Verb Stem to form the Present Simple , except with he/she/it/one, where the Stem takes the ending -s:

I laugh, he laughs.

Note: I cry, he cries.

As a rule, German Verbs act like lachen, which takes the Verb Stem + Present Tense endings:

-e, -(e)st, -(e)n, -(e)t, -(e)n, -(e)t, -(e)n, -(e)n

In the table below you'll see the Present Simple of some English Verbs and their German equivalents. Endings are highlighted. In brackets are some semi-obsolete forms of English - these may help you relate to the German forms.

Note: Lachen and machen are Regular Verbs (Verbs which 'follow the rules'). Denken is a Mixed Verb and kommen is a Strong Verb - but they both act like Regular Verbs in the Present Tense!

Singular

Plural

Singular

Plural
to laugh

I laugh

(Thou laughst)

you laugh

he laughs

  

we laugh

(Ye laugh)

you laugh

they laugh

 lachen

ich lache

Du lachst

Sie lachen

er lacht

  

wir lachen

Ihr lacht

Sie lachen

sie lachen
to make

I make

(Thou makest)

you make

she makes

  

we make

(Ye make)

you make

they make

 machen

ich mache

Du machst

Sie machen

sie macht

  

wir machen

Ihr macht

Sie machen

sie machen
to come

I come

(Thou comest)

you come

it comes

  

we come

(Ye come)

you come

they come

 kommen

ich komme

Du kommst

Sie kommen

es kommt

  

wir kommen

Ihr kommt

Sie kommen

sie kommen
to think

I think

(Thou thinkst)

you think

one thinks

  

we think

(Ye think)

you think

they think

 denken

ich denke

Du denkst

Sie denken

man denkt

  

wir denken

Ihr denkt

Sie denken

sie denken

 

Some examples of Regular Verbs in use: 

Do you talk about work there? Redet man da über die Arbeit?

I can't hear so well today

 Ich höre heute so schlecht
I look forward to your fax Ich freue mich auf Ihren Fax
Improve the delivery time Verbessern Sie die Lieferzeit

 

Present Perfect

A bridge from Past to Present

Both languages use the Perfect Tense (sometimes called the Present Perfect) to talk about a Past action or state which still has relevance to the Present:

English uses the Present Tense of to have + Past Participle to form the Perfect.

English uses the Perfect as a kind of bridge from the Past to the Present - often with links like sometimes, always, never and so far.

Most German Verbs use the Present Tense of haben + Past Participle to form the Perfect.

Consider the examples below, where the Perfect is used in both languages to bridge Past and Present. Note the position of the Past Participle, then answer these questions:

  1. Where does the Past Participle go in German?
  2. What do the German Verbs expressing motion or state use as their Auxiliary?

Check with the Solution.

Our team has won all the games so far Unsere Mannschaft hat bisher alle Spiele gewonnen
Have you had a glance at the paper today? Haben Sie heute schon einen Blick in die Zeitung getan?
So far only ten sets have arrived Bisjetzt sind nur zehn Geräte eingetroffen
You've come straight through

Sie sind gleich durchgekommen

  

 

Solution: Perfect Tense

  1. The Past Participle usually goes to the end of its Clause, whereas English Verbs stick together.
  2. German uses the Present Tense of sein + Past Participle with Verbs expressing motion or state.

 

Past Simple

Clearly in the Past

English uses the Past Simple (or the Past Continuous) when talking or writing about actions or states which belong clearly in the Past. Regular English Verbs like smoke (or talk) form the Past Tense with Verb Stem + d (or ed).

Regular German Verbs like rauchen form the Past Tense with Verb Stem + t (unless the Stem ends in t already)+ Present Tense endings.

I smoked we smoked ich rauchte wir rauchten
you smoked you smoked du rauchtest Ihr rauchtet
you smoked you smoked Sie rauchten Sie rauchten
he/she/it/one smoked they smoked er/sie/es/man rauchte sie rauchten

Verbs like warten (to wait) whose Stem ends in tadd et + Present Tense endings:

ich wartete Sie warteten
du wartetest Ihr wartetet
Sie warteten Sie warteten
er/sie/er/sie/es/man wartete sie warteten
 

This kind of Past form can be quite a 'mouthful' and you can see why in German the Perfect form is often used instead when speaking:

While I was waiting for you Während ich auf Sie gewartet habe

The Past Tense of some strong German Verbs is not pleasing to the ear either, maybe that's why the main use of the German Past Tense is writing about the Past. German often uses the Perfect Tense - especially if the topic is deemed of interest to the speaker - even when there is clear reference to the Past.

Usage: Watch out for these different uses of Past and Perfect Tenses, for example:

 

We ordered forty transistors  

Wir haben vierzig Transistoren bestellt

I telephoned you last night

 Ich habe dich gestern abend angerufen
 

Sometimes German does use the Past Tense in speech, when the Verb form is common, short or easy to say.

Note: English 'overworks' the Verb to be - German tends to use more specific Verbs, as in our example:

It was in my coat pocket Er steckte in der Manteltasche

 

 

Past Perfect

Usage is the same in both languages. Both English and German form the Past Perfect with a Modal Verb

German Verbs use the Past Tense of haben or sein + Past Participle.

 

Consider the following examples.How is the Past Perfect Tense formed in German?

  1. Most German Verbs forms the Past Perfect with the ___ Tense of haben + ___ Participle.
  2. Verbs of motion or state take ___ as the Past Participle.

Check your findings with the Solution.

 

We had ordered twenty radio sets Wir hatten zwanzig Radiogeräte bestellt
 

I had said you should start without me

Ich hatte doch gesagt, man sollte ohne mich anfangen
They had been there for hours Sie waren stundenlang dort gewesen
He had gone there on foot Er war zu Fuß dort hingegangen

 

Solution: Past Perfect

  1. Most German Verbs forms the Past Perfect with the Past Tense of haben + Past Participle.
  2. Verbs of motion or state take sein as the Past Participle.

 

 

Future Simple

For the near, intended Future, English uses the Present Continuous. German uses Present Simple:

I'm taking a taxi Ich nehme ein Taxi
I'm putting you through

Ich verbinde

Otherwise both languages use a Modal Verb + Infinitive of Main Verb to express the Future.

Consider the following examples.

  1. To form Future Simple, what does German use as the Modal Verb?
  2. Where does the Infinitive go?

Check your findings with the Solution.

 

I'll do it Das werde ich machen
I'll confirm the delivery dates then straight away Ich werde dann gleich die Lieferungstermine bestätigen

Solution: Future Simple

  1. German uses werden as the Modal Verb.
  2. The Infinitive usually stands at the end of the Clause.

 

 

Future Perfect

Both languages use a Modal Verb + Participle + Auxiliary to express the Future. German uses werden as the Modal Verb. Note the position of Participle and Auxiliary:

I'll have done it by twelve.

 Das werde ich bis zwölf gemacht haben
I'll have confirmed the delivery dates by then Ich werde bis dann die Lieferungstermine bestätigt haben
He'll have stayed there till now Er wird bisjetzt dageblieben sein

 

Test yourself!

Try the following:

  1. Study the explanations and examples.
  2. Print out the table for the grammar point you are working on and fold it into 2 vertically. You will then be able to check your recall of the English and German examples by folding and unfolding the paper.

Created for ULTRALAB trial June 1999
Copyright ULTRALAB at Anglia Polytechnic University